Cheng Chi disagreed: “Ji Ying is the wife Ziping sought out himself, so naturally their relationship is good.” At this point, his tone paused slightly as he hesitated: “There’s something… Master Qin specifically wrote me a letter some days ago, saying that if Nan Ping agrees, he’d like her to marry Qin Zi’an. Zi’an also came to see me about this matter, but regarding Nan Ping… I find it difficult to ask too many questions—she’s served us since childhood. If I told her to marry, she would certainly marry.
“But whether she actually likes Zi’an or not… Zining has been gone for so many years, yet I sometimes still remember what he looked like… Now that he’s gone, I can’t fail to even settle his people properly, can I?
“I’ve thought this matter over and over, and the only solution is to ask you to help me speak with her.
“If she’s unwilling, I won’t force her. If she’s willing, I’ll still give her a grand wedding with a ten-li red dowry procession…”
Zhou Shaojin felt she understood Nan Ping somewhat.
All these years, she had been like a young widow, rarely going anywhere, preferring to live forever in memories of the past.
Hadn’t she herself been the same in her previous life?
But only after truly emerging from that state did one realize there was still beautiful scenery outside.
Just like her—if she hadn’t been as timid and cowardly as in her previous life, how would she have met Cheng Chi and married him?
“I’ll go ask her,” Zhou Shaojin accepted this task without hesitation.
Cheng Chi smiled and kissed her forehead.
His little girl was beginning to help him solve problems.
“In a few days, Gu Jiunie might come to the capital,” he told her gently. “Huang Li recommended him for the position of Supervising Secretary in the Ministry of Justice.”
Zhou Shaojin was surprised: “Huang Li—the same Huang Li who doesn’t get along with Elder Uncle?”
Wasn’t the Gu family on friendly terms with the Cheng family?
She asked puzzledly: “Since there’s this vacancy, why didn’t Elder Uncle recommend Sixth Master Gu?”
Cheng Chi’s expression turned somewhat cold. His lips moved, but in the end, he pressed them together and said: “He always feels his own relatives don’t matter. When something comes before him, he always thinks of others first, then his own family, terrified that some stain might fall on him. Yet he doesn’t realize that what’s merely a simple gesture for him is a matter of life and death for other families. Although Old Ninth Master Gu’s restoration to office is certainly important, for the other branches of the Gu family, Gu Jiunie’s career prospects are more important.
“I did remind him back then. Since he was already managing Old Ninth Master Gu’s matter, why not help find a position for Gu Jiunie as well?
“But he put me off, saying after searching and searching, he couldn’t find anything suitable.
“I originally planned to mention it to Grand Secretary Song, but then Old Master Song passed away…
“In just this half month, Jiunie’s teacher introduced him to Huang Li. He did tell Huang Li about our family connection, but Huang Li said it was no problem. Jiunie couldn’t refuse even if he wanted to…
“Didn’t you say that in your previous life, Huang Li entered the Grand Secretariat before Elder Brother? From the looks of it now, even if I help him defeat Huang Li and let Elder Brother enter the Grand Secretariat before Huang Li, it won’t help.
“This Huang Li—whether it’s his breadth of mind or his methods, he surpasses Elder Brother… If Elder Brother continues being so muddled, who knows what disasters might occur!”
Most importantly, there was a seed of doubt in his heart.
In the previous life, if Second Uncle had died normally, why didn’t the Cheng family hold a grand funeral? Why was there no commendation from the imperial family? If Second Uncle’s death was abnormal, what was Cheng Jing doing?
Cheng Chi clasped his hands behind his back and paced the room twice, somewhat agitated.
Few things could make him display his emotions so openly.
It was as if some infuriating matter made it impossible for him to suppress his feelings for the moment.
Zhou Shaojin embraced Cheng Chi with heartache, comfortingly stroking his back gently.
With soft fragrance and tender warmth in his arms, Cheng Chi’s emotions gradually calmed.
He touched Zhou Shaojin’s hair and said in a low voice: “I’m fine… just feeling irritable for a moment.”
“I know,” Zhou Shaojin leaned into his embrace.
He always liked to keep matters in his heart.
And the things weighing on his heart were all major affairs.
Like the Cheng family’s execution and extermination?
Or the safety of herself, Old Madam Guo, the children, and everyone in the Cheng family if matters came to that point…
Thinking of this, Zhou Shaojin regretted telling Cheng Chi about her previous life.
She said to Cheng Chi: “I’ve finished half of the assignment you gave me last time. Do you want to take a look?”
Cheng Chi had painted twelve foot-square meticulous flower-and-bird paintings and asked Zhou Shaojin to mount them so they could be given as gifts.
Zhou Shaojin spent her mornings helping Old Madam Guo handle household affairs, sometimes spent afternoons playing with Yun Ge’er, and when Cheng Chi returned in the evening, she had to help him change clothes, serve his meals, and if he was in the study, she also had to attend to his writing materials. After the couple talked in the evening, the day quickly passed. If Cheng Chi was in a good mood… they usually carried on until late at night. Since she had to pay respects to Old Madam Guo and didn’t dare sleep in, she had to nap at midday the next day. These twelve paintings were done by Cheng Chi during those New Year days at home. Nearly half a year had passed, and she had only managed to mount six of them intermittently.
If she hadn’t seen Cheng Chi in a bad mood, she wouldn’t have brought them out to show.
Finding something to divert Cheng Chi’s attention would gradually improve his mood.
She herself used to be like this.
Cheng Chi was indeed interested and said: “Come, let’s go to the study and have a look.”
Zhou Shaojin happily went with Cheng Chi to her own study.
Though called a study, it was actually the side room at the west end of the main building. Since only Zhou Shaojin used it, besides writing materials and books and scrolls, there was also a three-foot flower stand in the corner. Nearby, an clothes rack hung various colored embroidery threads and prepared tassels. On the windowsill sat a sweet white porcelain plain flower vase holding a bunch of bright red pomegranate flowers. The feminine atmosphere was overwhelming, yet there was a comfortable and relaxed feeling.
Cheng Chi loved it.
Especially when he saw the drunken lord’s chair in the corner with its embroidered cushion featuring a golden ground pattern.
He could even imagine Zhou Shaojin curled up in the drunken lord’s chair reading idle books when he wasn’t home.
Cheng Chi couldn’t help but bend down and kiss Zhou Shaojin’s forehead again.
Zhou Shaojin noticed his gaze sweep over the drunken lord’s chair before he kissed her, and her face reddened slightly with embarrassment.
Last time, Cheng Chi had propped her legs on the grand tutor’s chair when he took her… That position made her very uncomfortable… and was quite outrageous.
She didn’t know when exactly she had aroused him… He absolutely mustn’t do it like last time again…
Zhou Shaojin quickly led him to the large writing desk and pulled out the scrolls she had mounted for him to see.
Cheng Chi saw that several paintings were all mounted quite broadly and naturally, as if they had grown on the backing, and couldn’t help but be greatly surprised.
Such craftsmanship—some people couldn’t achieve this even after ten or twenty years.
If learning from a master, she would already be ready to graduate.
He pondered for a moment and asked: “What paper did you use for the painting surface?”
Zhou Shaojin had thought she’d done very well, but hearing this, she asked nervously: “What? Isn’t it good?”
“No, no.” Seeing her fingers twitch, Cheng Chi immediately pulled her into his arms and smiled: “It’s mounted very well! You could already graduate. Given time, all the ancient books at home could be entrusted to you.”
Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief. An inexplicable pride rose in her heart, and a trace of satisfaction showed in her expression as she said: “I didn’t dare take your paintings and mount them directly. I took out flower patterns and such that I’d drawn before to practice mounting. But no matter what, the paintings always had some wrinkles, either here or there. They wouldn’t lie completely flat. I thought of many ways. Finally, I remembered the Chengxin paper Father gave me—it’s harder than other papers, so I used that for the painting surface… Isn’t it very good?” She looked up at Cheng Chi, her eyes and brows full of smiles, her expression revealing unmistakable expectation.
Cheng Chi’s mouth twitched slightly.
Chengxin paper… priceless even when available on the market… more valuable than gold… paper that decreased with each sheet used… used as mounting surface… He wondered whether his father-in-law would rush over from Baoding Prefecture to discipline his little girl if he found out… If those old scholars at the Hanlin Academy knew, he wondered whether they would stamp their feet and beat their chests…
But when his gaze met Zhou Shaojin’s, he felt this wasn’t really a problem.
Weren’t things meant to be used?
What difference was there between writing on it and using it for mounting?
“It’s very good indeed!” Cheng Chi praised her with a smile. “How did you think of this method?”
Zhou Shaojin was immediately overjoyed.
She felt all those days of deep contemplation had been rewarded.
“I thought of embroidery,” she said with a beaming face. “To embroider well, the fabric must be stretched tight, so naturally the paper should be as thick as possible. Speaking of thick, the only paper I know is Chengxin paper…”
Cheng Chi said: “Once you’ve mounted all the paintings, we’ll give them as gifts to various families.”
To let them see Shaojin’s strengths too, so they wouldn’t always think he was somehow wronged by marrying her.
Zhou Shaojin nodded with a smile.
Cheng Chi’s calligraphy and paintings had some reputation in Jiangnan. When relatives had celebrations, giving a piece of Cheng Chi’s work was an elegant gesture.
“Then write a few more pieces of calligraphy,” Zhou Shaojin requested. “The sixth day of next month is Father’s birthday. You write the characters, I’ll mount them, and we can give it to Father as a birthday gift.”
Father would surely love it.
“Alright!” Cheng Chi thought this was a good idea.
Zhou Shaojin ground the ink while Cheng Chi wrote. After two hours, they selected a piece with the characters “Longevity Like the Southern Mountain.”
Cheng Chi said: “Isn’t this too simple? Should I write a poem or something?”
“No need,” Zhou Shaojin thought about how busy Cheng Chi was. If he wrote more characters, it would take at least seven or eight days. “This time we’ll give these four characters. Next time we’ll prepare early and paint Father a portrait of the Three Elders of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity.”
The two discussed Zhou Zhen’s birthday gift for a while. Hearing the second night watch being struck outside, Zhou Shaojin urged Cheng Chi to rest with some embarrassment: “You still have to go to the office tomorrow!”
“It’s fine,” Cheng Chi smiled. “I don’t have to attend the morning court.”
He didn’t yet have the qualification to attend the morning court.
But the two still washed up and went to bed together.
Zhou Shaojin then thought of Gu Jiunie.
In her previous life, Gu Jiunie hadn’t worked on behalf of the Cheng family—could it be related to the fact that Huang Li had recommended him for office?
She told Cheng Chi of her concern.
Cheng Chi smiled: “If Elder Brother weren’t placed above Huang Li, Huang Li might still want to compete with Elder Brother. But Elder Brother gained a step on Huang Li when all circumstances favored Huang Li. By rights, Huang Li should think more highly of Elder Brother. If so, he may not necessarily be competing with Elder Brother, but rather values Jiunie’s talent and character. But we won’t know the specifics until Jiunie arrives in the capital.” Then he comforted her: “In others’ eyes, aren’t I one of Grand Secretary Song’s people? Don’t overthink it. Sleep quickly! With Ji Ying’s personality, she’ll definitely come every day these next few days to teach Yun Ge’er to swim, and you’ll be busy…”